I was recently looking through some Bayside cosmetic dentists to deal with a small issue (that I won’t go into here), and it got me thinking about the very idea of cosmetic dentistry. I’ve written a lot in the past about different professions people know very little about, and while we all think we have a pretty good idea what it means to be a dentist, most of us are far less aware of what a cosmetic dentist is.

To find out what a cosmetic dentist is, we can simply break down the term. “Cosmetics,” as we all know from cosmetic surgery, is about improving someone’s appearance. This is in contrast to traditional dentistry, where the goal is to keep teeth healthy or to deal with issues that are causing pain or may cause illness (e.g., taking care of cavities, providing fillings and crowns, extracting teeth, and so on).

That makes sense when you think about it. After all, a traditional dentist can take care of fillings and crowns, and so why not provide more aesthetically pleasing options like porcelain crowns and white fillings that make teeth look natural and healthy instead of covered in metal.

So, a cosmetic dentist is just the side of dentistry that takes care of teeth for the sake of appearances instead of health. What sort of procedures do these cosmetic dentists do?

As mentioned above, part of it is providing quality fillings and crowns, but there is much more. There are braces and other forms of teeth straightening, for instance. Cosmetic dentists also help with chipped and broken teeth. They can provide dentures and implants as well, for those who need not just tooth repair but a whole tooth overhaul. There are even more complicated procedures, such as getting rid of dark gums, an issue where some people have dark patches on the gums that some feel is unsightly.

This is only scratching the surface, apparently. In truth, as with all dental and medical professionals, there are a large number of procedures and treatments available at a cosmetic dentist.

I hope that information is helpful for those who are interested in learning more about dentistry, either as a career option or in preparation for visiting a dentist themselves. If you are in the process of finding a cosmetic dentist, be sure to follow all the same steps you would when looking for any other medical professional for treatment. Ask around for recommendations, read reviews online, and consult with insurance to find out which dentists and what procedures are covered.

Cosmetic dentists provide a tremendous service for our communities. Even if we rarely think about them, teeth are essential for all of us. They aren’t just there for chewing, either. They are a crucial part of how we see ourselves and how others see us, and cosmetic dentists make sure we always get the most from them.

The benefits of comprehensive air filtration systems in the workplace are obvious. Clean air leads to happy workers, increased productivity and retention, and compliance with federal regulations. However, the benefits of an air filtration system, especially a more current one, extend far beyond these obvious ones.

The clearest benefit of a newer air filtration system is improved environmental sustainability and impact. Many older systems just expelled the contaminated air outside, negatively affecting the environment and outside wildlife. Newer systems simply filter and recycle tainted air, bringing the pollution damage of a manufacturing facility down to zero. According to Robovent, The Clean Air Initiative calls on us to use proper air filters. Reducing pollution is not only good for the world, but it also lessens the chance that a manufacturing plant will receive negative press attention by causing lasting damage to the environment. Protecting the environment is a moral imperative, and minimizing the emissions of a manufacturing facility will make a meaningful dent in pollution.

In addition to reducing environmental damage, installing a new air filtration system will reduce operating costs for a facility. This is due to exponential increases in efficiency with more current systems. To cut down on costs, the filtration system should be the first place that management should look. Many facilities are leaving money on the table by keeping their older, power-guzzling filtration systems, and should research newer systems to find which ones will save them the most money. It’s possible that an older filtration system could be costing a facility significant money both in power consumption and inadequate air filtering which could affect employees and machinery. These newer systems will also be more powerful than the old ones and will catch particles and fumes that the older systems missed. Lower operating costs and increased employee safety make a new filtration system a no-brainer for those facilities that are able to afford the initial installation costs.

A newer filtration system can even improve the longevity of a manufacturing facility itself. Not only will the workers be healthier and more productive, but the facility’s equipment will be as well. Good air filtration means that equipment doesn’t have to be cleaned off nearly as often, and won’t get clogged up with contaminants. This is yet another economic benefit of newer systems.

The benefits of air filtration systems in manufacturing facilities is clear. However, for many plants, just having and maintaining a filtration system isn’t enough. Older systems have developed a whole host of problems and inefficiencies, from outside environmental damage to excessive power consumption. The damages from keeping an old system range from negative PR to massive accumulated financial losses.

With all of these damaging consequences of maintaining an older system, pursuing an installation of a newer filtration system is a must for all manufacturing facilities that can afford it. Even while taking into account the installation cost, a new system will pay for itself many times over, in decreased operating costs and peace of mind.

The law firm Marshall & Taylor PLLC, believes that when two parents decide to end their marriage, the living situations for both parents, as well as their children, can change dramatically and in just a small amount of time. In many cases, the parent who takes primary custody of the child may incur a number of significant costs that they may not be able to afford on their own. For this reason, many divorce settlements include child support arrangements to help the custodial parent with these costs.

Child support is one of the most difficult issues divorcing parents need to settle. It refers to the amount of financial assistance the non-custodial parent, also known as the obligor, ought to pay to the obligee, that is, the custodial parent, the guardian, the caregiver or, in the absence of all these, the state – for the support of the child.

Parents are legally obliged to support their biological children after divorce. This legal responsibility is recognized worldwide, especially by the nations which are members of the UN. In the U.S., this parental obligation is further enforced by the Child Support Enforcement Act of 1984, which also enumerates the factors that ought to be considered when resolving child support issues.

This financial support is supposed to help cover the basic needs of a child, such as food, shelter, clothing, education and health care; it is also usually paid until the child’s 18th year. Some of the factors considered in resolving this issue includes the present income of the parents (income includes wages, commissions, dividends, workers’ compensation benefits, unemployment benefits, among others), the age and needs of the child, the parent’s capacity to contribute to child support and the cost of the child’s needs.

Besides the monthly or periodic payments by the obligor, he or she may also be asked by the court to contribute to the child’s future financial activities and needs, such as vacation, camp, dental and medical, and further education. There is no specific federal ruling, though, regarding the necessity of support for children who have already reached the age of 18 but still want to pursue higher education; nor is there a final court ruling regarding the continuity of payment of support upon the death of the obligor.

For many mutual funds and individual investors who have looked to bonds issued by the Puerto Rican government are now suffering losses due to the financial dilemma that the government has sunk into in recent years. Though investors benefited from the handsome returns or high yields these bonds offered during a period of historically low interest rates, these same investors are now feeling the bite of losses in their portfolios.

The past several years have seen Puerto Rico struggling with compounding debt and economic decline, which have caused the value of Puerto Rico’s municipal tax-free bonds falling considerably. It was in September 2013 when Puerto Rico bond values began to decline sharply that investors who held these bonds also began to suffer massive losses.

Investors who seek remedy for their losses in Puerto Rico bonds need to file their disputes in Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) arbitration. This is the case, especially with those who have invested in a closed-end fund that held Puerto Rican debt or a high-risk/high-yield Puerto Rican bond without understanding the risks associated with the investment, if they hope to recover their losses.

According to the firm Erez Law, investors in the United States and Puerto Rico are filing FINRA arbitration claims against their brokerage firms for investments made in Puerto Rico bonds or bond funds on the advice of their financial advisor. Many of these investors were not adequately warned about the high risk nature of the bonds, and have suffered serious losses as a result. Investors may have a claim against the brokerage firm based on misrepresentation, unsuitability, breach of fiduciary duty and state and federal securities laws.

A broker must have reasonable grounds for each recommendation made to investors considering such factors as the customer’s other securities holdings, financial situation, and risk tolerance. In addition, before a financial advisor recommends a security to his customers, the financial advisor must conduct due diligence, investigating the facts surrounding the security, to confirm that it is suitable for the customer. The suitability of an investment for a particular individual is at the center of the investment process and one of the key duties owed by a broker to the customer. Thus, a firm may be held liable for its broker’s failure to recommend suitable investments to its customers.

Records from the National Safety Council (NSC) say that about 70,000 pedestrian accidents occur in the US every year. Of these, about 4, 500 are either fatal or end in the victim’s death a few days after the accident (the NSC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-governmental public service organization that promotes health and safety in the US by helping minimize the alarmingly high number of preventable injuries and deaths in working environments, homes and communities).

Fatal pedestrian accidents are frequent in rural areas where vehicles run faster, where there are usually no sidewalks where pedestrians can walk safely, and where most streets and intersections are poorly lighted at night. One common factor in fatal pedestrian accidents, however, is intoxication; either an intoxicated driver or an intoxicated pedestrian.

Pedestrian accident is, and should be, a concern of everyone, for the simple reason that everyone is a pedestrian at certain times of the day. While drivers play a major role in significantly reducing incidences of pedestrian accidents, pedestrians themselves should never exercise lesser care when crossing any street because even minor accidents can result in serious injuries, and ongoing pain and suffering that would leave those injured with serious emotional, psychological, and financial burdens. To make matters worse, those who have to contend with these serious side effects are not the ones at fault in the accident that hurt them.

Most non-fatal pedestrian accidents result in serious injuries, like broken bones, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries or accidental amputation. Due to the serious condition a victim may end up in, filing a civil or tort lawsuit against the at-fault driver often becomes necessary, mainly for the purpose of seeking compensation for all present and future damages resulting from the injury.

It is explained and strongly emphasized by Toronto personal injury lawyers at Mazin & Associates, PC, “When other people are neglectful, there are often serious repercussions for innocent bystanders. From irresponsible driving habits that cause accidents to cutting corners during the design of a product, negligence can cause a great deal of undue harm to unsuspecting victims. When you are hurt because of another person’s actions, it should not fall on you to endure the additional financial consequences of the injury. Your medical costs, rehabilitation, and any other treatment you need for your recovery should be compensated by the party that hurt you.”

Any kind of personal injury which has a direct effect on the human brain is always a serious matter as it can cause severe brain injury that can result to unconsciousness, amnesia, disability, comatose or even death. Personal injury is most commonly a consequence of an accident that is due to an act of recklessness or negligence of an individual, a business firm or a government entity.

There are many different causes of personal injury, including a simple slip and fall accident, a defective product, exposure to hazardous materials, medical malpractice and vehicular accidents. A personal injury can be severe and result to prolonged disability or even a victim’s untimely death. But whether severe or minor, personal injuries always lead to costly medical treatment and financial loses, especially if it causes a person to miss, or be incapable of, work. Thus, under the law, victims personal injury have the right to seek compensation from the liable party to cover present and future damages.

Brain injury, also known as traumatic brain injury (TBI), is an extremely serious type of personal injury. Its cause is a violent blow to, or a strong jolt of, the head. TBI usually results from a fall (head first), a sports accident, an explosion, violence or a car accident. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one million people in the U.S. are treated for brain injuries every year; despite treatment, still more than 50,000 eventually die.

Car accident is held as the major cause of TBI. Many drivers, it seem, care very little about their own safety and the safety of others on the road. This failure to care for the safety of others is the only reason why more than 90% of all road accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), are due to driver error.

Brain injury, according to the Philadelphia car accident lawyers at Zavodnick, Zavodnick & Lasky, LLC, is almost always debilitating for any victim, impeding even the most basic life tasks. Besides this, medical expenses for brain injuries are also among the most expensive of all injuries. Thus, no one should face the financial consequences of this injury alone, especially if the accident was not the victims fault. While the victim should focus his/her time and energy on the process of recovery, his/her family, through the help of a seasoned personal injury lawyer, should act and pursue legal action against the party liable in the accident for the possible compensation that the victim may be legally allowed to claim.

We all live in a mobile world. People now spend more time on their smartphones than on their laptop or desktops. According to the Global Web Index, 8 out of 10 people use their smartphones to search the Internet. Furthermore, smartphone users use their mobile devices 2.8 hours daily. According to the website of Big Momma Apps, two-thirds of Americans own a smartphone and 19% rely on these devices for online services and information. In this regard, having a mobile app for your business will truly make sense.

Realizing the importance of mobile apps for managing their business, big companies such as Walmart, Bank of America, McDonalds, and others have harnessed the power of mobile computing to reach their customers. Even small businesses are now developing mobile apps in order to market their company. So whether you are a startup coffee shop or a budding online store, here are some reasons you should consider mobile apps for your business:

1. Visibility

Recent statistics revealed that Americans spend over a couple of hours daily on their smartphones. While only a few applications comprise the bulk of this overall usage, still having mobile apps can give your company a huge advantage compared to companies that do not have apps.

2. Customer Engagement

Mobile apps can help your business engage with potential customers. Engaged customers can translate to revenue generating ones. It will also help you sell your products or services online. This way, you can capture a large share of the market.

3. Build Brand Awareness And Recognition

Having a mobile app can also help you increase brand awareness and recognition. It is like a billboard sign that you can customize. The important thing is to add features that your customers will love. The good new thing about a mobile app is that the more often your customers use the app, the more they will recognize your brand. In advertising parlance, this is called “effective frequency,” which states that hearing or seeing your brand approximately 20 times will get your brand truly noticed.

4. Enhance Customer Loyalty

The advertising industry is such a competitive world now. There are a lot of noise out there that you can lose your impact on potential customers. With a mobile app, you can make your business just a “touch away” from your customers.

The business world has started to embrace technological advances. If your competition has started to adopt it, why don’t you? These are just some of the benefits you can get with having a mobile app.

For someone who has been issued speeding and traffic violation tickets, a SR-22 is nothing new to you. This is a certificate accompanied by a court order which proves that you currently have auto insurance coverage. You need this form in order to continue driving legally. You may be required to carry SR-22 based on the following situations:

While it is still in your possession, here are some things you need to know about the SR-22:

It is not insurance

Although it is often referred to as SR-22 insurance, it is worth noting that it does not replace auto insurance. It is just a certification from your car insurance provider stating that you have auto insurance liability policy that complies with the minimum requirements of your state. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety (TxDPS), those who do not own a vehicle should ask an insurance provider about a Texas Non-Owner SR-22 Insurance policy.

You must already have minimum liability coverage

Prior to filing an SR-22, you first need to have at least a minimum liability coverage. The amount will vary depending on the state you are located. As auto insurance is required in the United States, you need coverage to maintain your driving privileges.

Upon presentation of the SR-22 form, you will then get your proof of insurance. You can get it by getting in touch with an auto insurance company in the state that requires insurance. They will provide the insurance or mail it directly to the state.

Duration of SR-22

The duration of the SR-22 will vary from one state to another. In some states, it could be as short as a year to as long as five years. On the average, you need to carry the SR-22 from 2 – 3 years. So while carrying the certificate, take advantage of clearing your driving record so that you can start with a clean slate when you apply for reinstatement of your driving license.

When moving to a new state, you need to keep your SR-22 from the original state where you filed for the form and then make sure that the insurance company where you are applying also meets the minimum liability requirement.

Over the years, there has been a growth in the number of product liability lawsuits related to Risperdal, an anti-psyhotic medication, mainly used for treating schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism. The lawsuits have been directed to Johnson & Johnson, the company that manufactures the medicine. According to the website of Williams Kherker, the US Food & Drug Administration has issued several warnings related to the drug emphasizing on its dangers.

According to allegations raised in the lawsuits, Johnson & Johnson failed to provide sufficient warnings to consumers and the medical community about the risk of gynecomastia for boys. The condition involves the growth of breasts among males. Aside from that, the company also encouraged the use of the drugs for the unapproved treatment of AD/HD in children. To date, the company has been fined more than $1.2 billion for this false marketing. According to records, Johnson & Johnson was aware of these complications but did not properly warn patients.

In 2003, the FDA approved the drug as a short-term treatment of adults and children more than 10 years old with bipolar disorder and experiencing mania, a condition characterized by episodes of unusually excited moods. Likewise, it is prescribed for treating mixed episodes of people experiencing symptoms of both mania and depression.

Moreover, risperidone is also prescribed for children 5 to 16 years old who are suffering from autism, a condition that causes repetitive behavior and difficulty communicating and interacting with other people. It can help reduce symptoms that include aggression, self-injury, and sudden mood change.

Risperdal is not approved for use by patients with psychotic conditions related to dementia. Studies have shown that older adults with dementia who take antipsychotic drugs like risperidone are prone to risk of death during treatment. In addition, they are at a greater risk of experiencing stroke or ministroke during treatment. The FDA did not approve the use of risperidone for treating behavior problems in older adults with dementia.

However, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, the company that manufactures the drug, marketed Risperdal as a treatment for agitated adults with dementia. For doing so, the company had to pay a hefty fine for falsely marketing Risperdal.

What are the side effects of Risperdal?

When taking Risperdal, you may show sensitivity to extreme weather conditions. Avoid getting too cold or becoming overheated or dehyrdated. Take lots of fluids especially when its hot or when exercising. It can be easy to become overheated or dehydrated when taking this medication.

The drug may also impair your ability to think or react. Be careful when driving or doing anything that requires alertness. Drinking alcohol can also boost certain side effects associated with the drug. Inform your doctor if you are experiencing fever, stiffness in the muscles, confusion, sweating, fast or uneven heartbeats, restless muscle movements in the face or neck, tremor, difficulty in swallowing, a feeling of light-headedness or fainting.

Precautions before taking the medicine

To make sure that Risperdal is safe for you, the Mayo Clinic recommends that you tell your doctor if you have the following conditions:

One cannot deny the negative impact of drug addiction to an individual. Too much marijuana or heroine can cloud the brain which causes an individual to think differently. Drug addiction is closely related with alcohol and criminality. Figures released by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) revealed that approximately 80% of offenders are into drug and alcohol abuse. In addition, the agency also revealed that almost 50% of jail and prison inmates suffer from clinical addiction. Likewise, 6 out of 10 individuals who got arrested for majority of crimes were tested positive for illegal drugs.

According to the website of Flaherty Defense Firm, individuals who will be found to possess the smallest amount of controlled substance or drugs can be subjected to criminal charges. Federal and state laws provides coverage for various drug crimes. The former may result to longer sentences while the latter may charge shorter sentences. According to the website of James Powderly, you can be charged with misdemeanor and felony. Here we will look at the different types of drug crimes:

Paraphernalia

Drug paraphernalia refers to any equipment used for the preparation, injection, or concealment of illegal drugs. According to the Department of Justice’s National Drug Intelligence Center, it is prohibited to sell, import, or export any drug paraphernalia. Examples of paraphernalia include pipes, rolling papers, syringes, and others.

Possession

Drug possession laws may vary from one state to another depending on the kind of drug involved and the amount. Possession of illegal drug can either be simple possession or possession with intent to distribute. Simple possession involves a person who possesses a small amount of drugs. On the other hand, possession with intent to distribute involves a larger amount of drugs and comes with harsher penalties. It can also include drug paraphernalia.

Manufacturing/Delivery

An individual can be charged with a drug manufacturing/delivery if they are involved in any step of illegal drug production. To be charged with drug manufacturing/delivery, the prosecutor must prove that there is indeed an intention to manufacture as well as possession.

Trafficking

Drug trafficking is the act of distributing, selling, transporting, or importing illegal controlled substances such as marijuana and cocaine. Trafficking is more serious than just drug possession since it involves transporting a huge quantity of drugs. If found guilty of drug trafficking, you can serve prison term of up to 3 years.

Dealing

Dealing refers to the act of selling drugs on a smaller scale. Depending on the state, trafficking and dealing are defined differently under Federal Law. Drug dealing involves a single individual selling a small quantity. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sets Federal penalties for drug dealing and trafficking. For selling less than 50 grams of marijuana, you can be facing a jail term of 5 years and a fine of $250,000. On the other hand, selling 1,000 kilograms of marijuana can lead to a jail term of 10 years to life imprisonment.